When Oscar Wilde’s Wit And Wisdom Left Us Speechless

If you ever get caught in a very tricky situation where you are surrounded by enemy forces on all sides and are unarmed with nothing but your wits about you, there’s only one person you would want by your side; that is Oscar Wilde. Why? It’s because this iconic man wasn’t just witty on some occasions, he was full of it at all times. In case you live under a rock and have no idea who he is, let us humor you.

Oscar Wilde was an Irish and was a very popular playwright, essayist, poet, and a novelist of the 18th century. In fact, he was the best and the most notable one by the year 1890 rolled around. His most distinguished work includes The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Importance of being earnest, and more. Much of his popularity was because of the scandal surrounding his imprisonment and his self-exile to France. But, those were the sad days for Oscar Wilde, and even sadder for the British Government which mistreated this talented human being.

His quick wits were enriched in wisdom which is why, even to this day, he is as famous as he was back then. Among all those sad poets drowning in misery and writers with blue words, Oscar’s writings were like a breeze of fresh air; electric and delightful in nature. Let’s have a look at the times when Wilde’s wit and wisdom left us completely speechless:

The Doubtful Ones:

Wilde was unique with his wits, as compared to others, because he wasn’t even trying; it came naturally to him. He was entertaining with his words even while they were about something very real. He was clever, observant and insightful; yet, he had a way of making it sound funny.

“Whenever people agree with me, I always feel I must be wrong”

Don’t we all? But, only Wilde will put it into words. The struggles of people dealing with low self-esteem!

The Queen:

Wilde’s quick thinking comes naturally, and he claimed it. So, when he was challenged to speak on the subject of the Queen, Wilde countered with, “The queen is not a subject”. To others, this reply would have come days after or maybe not even then.

The Hangover:

Most regular people describe a hangover just like that; a hangover. But, leave it to Oscar Wilde to make even that sound entertaining and a tad bit dramatic:

Mr. Wilde, anything to declare?

“A bloody great hangover and a case of hemorrhoids
resembling a Burgundy vineyard in bloom!”

The Fashion for Oscar Wilde:

After reading Wilde’s take on fashion, we’d never be able to look at new vogue trends and styles as something cool. And what is fashion to Mr.Wilde?

“And, after all, what is a fashion? From the artistic point of view, it is usually a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.” –The Philosophy of Dress

With all these examples and cases, we have barely scratched the surface. If Oscar’s wit and wisdom could be bottled, we’ll have the world’s biggest treasury of words in our hands. Yet, it is hard to believe that a person with such wit as a weapon finally died a poor.